BRECAN kicked off 2014 World Cancer Day on Feb. 1 with Jog for Life in partnership with the Inspiration Centre of the Redeemed Christian Church Ejigbo, Lagos State. BRECAN is highly encouraged by this initiative by the Pastor incharge ., Pastor Joseph Adebamowo for caring for the well being of his congregation especially the women. His amiable wife Deaconess Peju Adebamowo was the Lead Jogger . Breast Health Awareness talk was led by Mrs Oladiran, a public health officer from University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan. All participants, men and women were taught how to do Breast Self Examination,a veritable entry point in becoming breast aware. Living a healthy life style such as eating a balanced diet and daily 20 minutes exercise were empasised as ways of preventing cancer. This partnership with a church, without doubt, a strong affirmation that faith and medicine can go hand in hand. It is worthy of emulation and we are hoping that other churches will borrow a leaf from Redeemed Church Ejigbo.

On the D-day Feb. 4, All Saint’s College Ibadan hosted the eventwith some students of Lead City High, Jericho, Ibadan in attendance where Dr Mutiu Jimoh of the Department of Radiotherapy, University College Hospital, Ibadan gave lecture on cancer awareness, prevention andtreatment. The theme of this year’s World Cancer day is “Debunk the Myths”. The Founder/President of BRECAN, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu in her remarks stressed the need to talk about cancer to reduce the fear of dying notoriously associated with the disease. She noted that while cancer can be a difficult topic to address particularly in some cultures and settings including Nigeria, dealing with the disease openly can improve outcomes at individual, community and policy level. She was also a guest at the Splash FM 105.5 live interview where she reiterated the need to continuously talk about cancer to pave the way for increased level of awareness that would empower individuals to make informed decisions.Thereafter she joined the First Lady of Oyo State, Mrs Florence Ajimobi to witness the distribution of free Breast Self Examination kits to market women at the Bola Ige International market, Ibadan

DESPITE the intensity of efforts and enormity of resources committed to the search for cancer cure the world over, the human race seems to be rapidly losing the war against the killer disease. Statistics released by the Geneva, Switzerland-based International Agency for Research on Cancer during the last World Cancer Day on February 4 show that, with 8.2 million deaths in 2012 alone, cancer has doubtlessly emerged as “the biggest cause of mortality” in the world.

At a time when many countries, including Nigeria, have been focusing their energy on reining in the HIV/AIDS pandemic, cancer, in its characteristic malignant nature, has been spreading rapidly across the world and leaving in its wake, a devastation of cataclysmic proportions. While the number of new cases recorded in 2012 stood at 14.1 million — an 11 per cent increase over the preceding four years — it is expected that the number will climb to 25 million, an astonishing 75 per cent increase, by 2025. This is quite an alarming rate of growth, which should not be ignored.

As usual, Nigeria features prominently among the worst cases. Aside from India, our country is credited with the highest cases of cervical cancer in the world, according to the report of the IARC. Yet, cervical cancer, experts say, is “the most preventable (type of) cancer in the world.” Out of about 14,550 cases diagnosed annually in the country, Ifeoma Okoye, a Professor of Radiology at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, said no fewer than 9,569 people died annually due, largely, to late detection. Similarly, prostrate cancer is reportedly responsible for the death of 14 Nigerian men every day. That is quite alarming.

Generally, developing countries carry a disproportionate burden of the cancer epidemic. Christopher Wild, the Director of IARC, was quoted as saying, “60 per cent of the world’s new cases of cancer occur in Africa and Asia.” Together with South America, the two continents record the highest number of cancer mortality. Wild, whose agency is also the specialised cancer research arm of the World Health Organisation, described the upsurge in cancer cases as “a major obstacle to human development and well-being.”

Cancer, one of the lifestyle or non-communicable diseases, is described by WHO as “a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body.” These diseases can also be referred to as malignant tumours or neoplasms. A feature of cancer is the creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries, and are capable of invading adjoining parts of the body and spreading to other organs. It is this spreading to other organs, called metastasis, that is the major cause of death.

While normal cells in the body are supposed to follow a certain, laid-down and orderly pattern of growth, division and death, cancer cells defy death. Rather, they continue to grow and divide, leading to a mass of abnormal cells growing out of control. So, cancer results when this programmed growth, division and death process breaks down, leading to what is called apoptosis. What is left is uncontrollable growth of cells which, unlike normal cells, do not die.

Although there are many types of cancer, depending on the type of cells that are responsible for it, lung, liver, breast, stomach and colorectal cancers rank among the major causes of death. In low income countries such as Nigeria, cervical cancer, caused by Human Papilloma Virus, is the major cause of death among women.

Carcinogens are substances that have been implicated in the direct damage of the DNA, thus promoting cancer. Tobacco, asbestos, arsenic, radiation such as gamma, X-rays, the sun and compounds in car exhaust fumes are known examples of carcinogens. When our bodies are exposed to carcinogens, free radicals are formed that try to steal electrons from other molecules in the body. These free radicals damage cells and affect their ability to function normally.

Factors that predispose a person to cancer include ageing and lifestyle, especially the kind of food one eats and the level of physical exercise one is involved in. It is believed that, in every human, there is a build-up of risks for specific cancers that increase with age. Much is often said of the risk posed by smoking, but much less has been done about the role of alcohol in cancer development. Unhealthy diet and physical inactivity — which sometimes lead to obesity — urban pollution and viral or bacterial infections are among the other risk factors for cancer.

Wild said, “We are not going to address the problem by simply improving treatment.” This means that, besides improved treatment, personal habits have to change. Once the risk factors are known, it follows, naturally, that avoiding them is key to keeping cancer at arm’s length. Eating right, especially avoiding processed foods and eating more of fruits and vegetables, promotes good health and prevents cancer. Since WHO identifies tobacco as the single most important risk factor, responsible for about 22 per cent of global cancer deaths and about 71 per cent of global lung cancer deaths, it is only reasonable to abstain from smoking either directly or indirectly inhaling smoke from smokers.

The same attention paid to tobacco should be directed at alcohol. An IARC expert, Bernard Stewart, advocates strict regulation of the use of alcohol by highlighting its dangers, saying, “The extent to which we modify the availability of alcohol, the labelling of alcohol, the promotion of alcohol, and the price of alcohol — those things should be on the agenda.”

Some of the symptoms of cancer include lumps on the breast or testicles, sweating, unexplainable loss of weight, fever, headache, fatigue, constipation and diarrhoea, depending on the type of cancer. However, these are symptoms also associated with other diseases. But the important thing is that early detection and treatment of some cancers could lead to a complete cure. Cancer is only difficult to handle when it has spread to other parts of the body.

Given the alarming nature of cancer deaths in the country, the Nigerian government has to key into global trends of paying greater attention to the disease. Even if it has been established that early detection is vital to successful treatment, this can only be achieved if people undergo periodic medical check-ups. Also, medical check-ups will only be useful if there are adequate, up-to-date equipment and well-trained personnel to carry out the screening, diagnosis and treatment.

Right now Nigerians rely on trips to India for cancer treatment because the facilities at home have been abandoned and have deteriorated. For instance, Nigeria is credited with only six functional radiotherapy centres, which is poor, considering that the WHO standard is one for a 250,000 population. Even something as elementary as diagnosis is still very difficult to come by here. The case of the late human rights activist lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi, who was wrongly diagnosed is still fresh in people’s mind.

So, to successfully wage the war against cancer, the Nigerian government must pay more attention to equipping the hospitals. Efforts must be directed at encouraging Nigerian experts who have abandoned the country to return. Emphasis should be on what can be achieved in Nigerian hospitals since everybody cannot afford to travel abroad for treatment.

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